Mountain Pose (Tadasana): Another Staple Pose In Yoga. A Foundational Pose To Standing Asana’s

Mountain Pose (Tadasana):

Name: Mountain Pose

Sanskrit: Tadasana

Pronunciation:  Tad-AH-sahn-na

Pose Level: Beginner

Step-by-Step:

• Stand with your legs hip-width apart, feet parallel in line.
• Lift the tips of your toes and slowly place them back on the floor.
• Contract your quadriceps so that you can feel the kneecaps lifting slightly upwards.
• Then, slightly contract the abdomen.
• Roll your shoulders up, back and down.
• Push your shoulder blades towards your back and let your shoulders drop while keeping your chest open.
• Let your arms go along your torso and rotate your palms forward.
• Keep your head in line with the spine and your chin parallel to the ground. Relax your neck and shoulders.
• Keeping the mouth closed, separate the jaw and relax all the muscles of the face.
• Shift your body weight back and forth, then left to right trying to find your balance point.
• Gradually reduce the range of movements until you stop, with the weight of the body evenly distributed on the feet.
• To intensify the pose, try doing it with your eyes closed.

Benefits:

• Develop physical and emotional centering;  
• Teaches us to stand in the correct way, to distribute the weight of the body on both feet and therefore to take the correct alignment of the body; 
• Strengthens the thighs, knees and ankles;
• It is useful for calming the mind, giving serenity and calm;
• Tones abs and buttocks;
• Relieves pain caused by sciatica;     
• It is useful in the first six months of pregnancy;
• Activates the first Chakra, Muladhara

Pose Modifications:

The arms can be slightly away from the body, as if they were the slopes of a mountain. In this case, a further variant consists in turning the palms of the hands forward.

The hands can be joined at the heart center, at the level of Anahata chakra, in prayer.

The arms can be extended above the head, shoulder-width apart with the palms facing inwards, in line with the legs.

The hands can be intertwined, then raised with outstretched arms, above the head, palms facing up.

Contraindications:

None

Poses Commonly Transitioned too:

Upward Salute (Urdhva Hastasana), Tree Pose (Vrkasana)

Poses Commonly Transitioned From:

Upward Salute (Urdhva Hastasana), Tree Pose (Vrkasana)